Improved peat-machine



pn. s. ROBERTS.

Peat Machine.

Patented my 28,1868.

wkn/[5555 @einen g'tsttts @anni @Hins-` MARI'IN S. ROBERTS, OF RACINE, WISCONSIN.

Letters Patent 1Y0. 80,309, dated July 28, 1868; antcdatcd July 14, 186B.

IMPROVBD PHAT-M ACHUIE.

il): Stbitulr rttitnt tu in tigtsi Qtttttrs lnttnt :mh mating gait nt tigt samt.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, Mauvtx S. Ronsa'rs, of Racine, iu the county of Racine, and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Peat-Machines and I do hereby declare that the following is l. full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification, in which- Y Figure I represents n section of the digger, cruslier, and other parts of the machine.

Figure 2 is the front elevation of the digger, with half number of buckets.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of a bucket and the elevation of the rear side of 'the same. A

Figure 4 is an enlarged section of the small convcyer. y'

Figure 5 is a ground plan, taken on the line Z Z' of digger, small conveyer, Crusher, and travellingcarriage of the upper deck, and

Figure (i is a ground plan of the bow of the boat, and a sczaicireular gear, along which the digger travels. Similar letters of reference in the several figures denote similar parts of the machine. My invention consists of several improvements on my peat-machine, for which Letters Patent have been I granted to me, August 15, 1865, and April 9, 1867; and their nature consists, first, in a boat, to be used on watery begs, so constructed as to conveniently carry all the necessary machinery and fuel; also provided with a filter to clean and a chamber to contain water taken from the same bog, to supply the boiler of the steamengine; second, in a digging-appnrntus, so constructed and arrangedas to dig peat and deliver the same on the small conveyor, said apparatus lbeing provided with two distinct motions, viz, one up-and-down motion, for the purpose of digging deeper or shallow-er into the peat-bed, and the other side-motion, performed on a half-circular curve around the bow of the boat, for the purpose of embracing and digging at once a track of peatbed of considerable width; third,it consists in n small conveyor, so constructed as to receive the pent delivered into it by the diggingapparatus,' and to convey the :amc to the grinder: fourth, in a grinder so arranged that the peat delivered into it by the small conveyor is thoroughly ground and pulpcd, said grinder being provided with a hoop, to pass the peat from the grinder into the large conveyor. which conveys the peat to the shore, and spreads it in an)Y desired thickness and at any distance from digging.

'o enable others sltilleilin the art to make and use tn v invention. I will proceed to` describe its construction and operation.

A is :t flat-boat, two feet deepfand fourteen b v forty feet rznore or less) round in the bnw, or its forward part` and square at the stcrn. It is provided with a steam-engine to work the machinery, and with a lter to clean and a chamber to contain water, taken from the hog itself, to feed the boiler of the engine, the boilerv being placed at the haelt end of the boat. Thel boat i-..dr.\\vn forward by a capstan placed on the boat, a stakef being driven in .front of the how` :it n convenir-:it distance. to which a rope is attached and passati around the eapstan.

Resting on the top of und secured to the ledge of the how is :i souiicircular spur-gear, A', corresponding with which another similar spur-gcar, A", is secured tu the bottom of the timbers ofthe upper deelt II, serving as support to the carriage C and other machinery, both decks being strongly united by proper framework, the semicircular gears A' and A beingfor the parpfwe of moving thcdigginpapparatus D, and feeding it rcglxllrly and continuously on half a circle of the width ofthe boatfs` diameter. i

The digging-apparatus l) consists of the outer box E, plunger l". and an endless chain,G, to which diggingbuckets 1I II are secured.

Box E rests on and slides along the gear A', to facilitate which movement rollers are placed between its side and top flanges, E", and the side and top of the boats ledge. At the top it is secured to the carriage 0 sliding on rollers on the upper deck, on n semieireular rail of the width of the boat's diameter, and connected by hanger I with main shaft K, serving us centre to the carriage Cond box E movements.

Plunger F is boxshapod also, and slides up and down-in the box E by moans of a rack, u, securednn the i I. 80,30) r.- 2 if' interior to one of its sides, and gearing into a pinion, b, set on the shaft e, journalled to the outer box E, and worked by means of pinion z' gearing into the bevel double wheel d, working on a feather on the upright shaftf. Sbnft'c and its pinion z' are put in or out of gear with shaft fonly when up or down movement of the plunger i F is required.' Rollers are put between box E and plunger F to keep the latter in its proper position.

For the purpose of moving digging-apparatus D back and forth on the circleof gears A and A", the upright shaft fis provided with bevcl-pinions h' at its ends, the rst gearing into the bevel-pinion t' of the horizontal shaft L, supported by the carriage C, and connected with main driving-shaft while h gears into pinion of the horizontal shaft M, pinion l of which gears into double wheel m of the shaft N, provided with pinions n n gearing into semicircular curves A' A".

New, as the main shaft K revolves shaft L, this revolves shaft f, which, in its turn, revolves shaft M, aud this revolves shaft N, and as all this shaftlng is secured to the digging-apparatus D and carriage C, the apparatus may thus travel hack and forth along the gears A and A. The double wheel m works on a feather, and, by means of an arm, O, pinned atO", and lever P, may be moved up or down, and, in order to produce the movement automatically, lever P is provided with a weightfW, at the end, and asthe apparatus D reaches the end of the curve A', the end of the lever P strikes against stop Q, secured to the upper deck, and assumes n reverse position, throwing the wheel m' or the wheel m" into gear with pinion l, thus moving the' apparatus D one way or the other. But when it is desirable to stop the apparatus, without stopping the machinery at any point of the curve A', lever I is put by hand into a vertical position, and thc double wheel m being thus disengaged from pinion l, the apparatus stands still. f

The digging-device consists of buckets H II, secured to tlie cross-rods of the endless chain G, passing over deep-grooved pulleys R R, at the top, provided with reels, R', to work the chain, and pulleys S S, atthe bottom of the plunger, the outside flange of which, T, forms a sharp-edged cutter, for the purpose of cutting peat as the digging-apparatus is travelling, and to thus facilitate the excavation of peat by the buckets.

Reels R' are provided with shafts, pinion t of which gears into a pinion of the shaft n, worked by the horizontal shaft L. Each bucket II consists of four sides, the back side, a', of which is so placed that the sides b' and c' project beyond it, and receive vthe cross-rods d d', over one of which latch c' is passed, that has a notched end, and is provided with coiled spring, that keeps it otT the back side a of the bucket, and is for the purpose of closing or opening the movable bottom f' of the bucket, hinged to the front side z of the saule.

There are two wedge-like stops, one, q, secured to the box E. and the other, r. secured to the hnpper'U, on the inside, the last to act on th'e latch e', in the ascension of the buckets, and open their bottom, f', thus discharging peat into the hopper U, and. the other to close their bottom on their descent into the bog. Guides i" li" are lirmly secured ata proper angle to thc-top of the buckets, for the purpose of guiding the peat ofthe upper bucket, when it is delivered into the hopper, by the guide of the lower bucket, preventing the same from falling into this bucket, instead of falling into the hopper I. But asthis arrangement necessitates small spaces between the buckets, and as sometimes it is desirable to spate them wider, hence the guides Il" It", instead of being secured tothe buckets, may be secured to the cross-rods of the chain, between the buckets, thus answering the same purpose.

Back sides a' a' are provided with notches k vle', eut in '.iicm from the bottom upwards, for the ypurpose of discharging water, when bucket is filled with peat, and if' grass, roots, or other objects that are in the peat should partially clog these openings, every time when the bucket is discharged the openings becomes clear.

Other sides`v may be provided also with openings for similar purposes, but these are easily stopped with' grass, moss, ke.. of the peat, if not opened through to the bottom of the bucket.

The peat thus excavated by the buckets 1I II is disehar i irno the hopper U, placed over thc small couveyer B, consisting of an endless chain, X, provided with sluts I' I. 5 laced edgeways' on the chain, and the chain enclosed into an open box, Y, the pulleys of the chain being wor' .i by the mitin shaft K. This conveyer V conveys peat into the-grinder Z, consisting of grinding-pl.-it-.` li'. ghtly convex on the upper side, provided with teeth 11"/1", and firmly secure-l to the main driving-shaft K. it moves inside' of the stationary concave, C'. that has two arms, o' o', provi-led with teeth, also. pla-"cd tipp the Spaces between leeth 11" 1i" of the grinding-plate.

'."he concave, C', is secured to the timbers of the fram.,- .-.i;`:i zscrews p p', by means 0f which it may be raised or low-red for the purpose of regulating the grimiwr;` .pp-,1 razas, that it may grind either coarse or fine, as desired.

'l'he plate lj' and the concave O' both are provided 511' fin-)ws r' r', like inillstoaes, at their edges. and

so situated :is to cross' cach other, thcirobjcct being to crush :ne peat as it is thrown tfthe edge of thcplntc B' by thc c-nt|-ifugnl force. The ontsiderirn of the plate 11' is also przvidt-d with spurs D 1)',to carry peut along.

and on: el' (he hoop E', through its bag F', forcing it into the great conveyor (.i'. Tue hoop is placed' on the outside of the plate li', resting ou the support ll', being firmly secured to the conveyor G', and partiall \1 moving when thc conveyor moves.

.This conveyor was patented and fullv described by me in the specification in the Leiters Patent granted to me,'.\pril il. li'ii, and 'isrinarked there b v letter E.

Thcoperation of :he machine consists in the following: The boat being placed in the water of the' bog, and the capitan and stake. with rope, being properly arranged, the machinery is started, the plunger of the digger is adjusted to a proper depth, und double wheel m putin gear. The buckets will commence to excavatc the peat, and deliver it into the hopper l', while the digging-apparatus is travelling on the curve A', the number and motion of the buckets being calculated .to correspond with the movement of the digger. .The excvated peat being delivered into the hopper U, is conveyed tothe grinder Z, is crushed and pulped there, and conveyed to the shore by the conveyer G'. f Y Y,

When bog is excavated tc a desirable depth, of the width o the boat, the last is advanced by the cepstan to the width oi' the excavated space, und the operation is repeated. In this way, a. track'of fourteen fee-t wide (more or less) of the bog is excavated right along, and the peat spread to dry.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The digging-apparatus D, consist-ing of box E. plunger F, and endless chain G, with buckets H H, combined and operating as described, andthe whole secured te the boat A, and provided with continuous automatic movement along the semicircuinr curve A', by means substantially as described, or other equivalent means.

2. The mode of automaticnily regulating the semicircular to-a.ndfro movement of the digging-apparatus D along the curve A', by means of double wheel m, lever P', and stops Q, substantially as herein. set forth and specified.

3. The perforated buckets H, provided with the hinged bottom F and spring-catch e', in combination with the guides z", Iwhen arranged to operate as described.

4. The segmental gear A and A, arranged as described, in combination with the diggingapparutus, and the mechanism for operating the seme, substantially as herein described.

5. The cutting-flange i of the outer puiley S of tbe Hnnge F, to cutpcat in the bed, and to thus faciiitete the operation of the buckets, substantially as set forth.

6. 'The grinder Z, consisting of revolving toothed and furrowed plate B', provided with spurs D D', and constructed as described, and of stationary furrowcd concave, C', provided with toothed arms o o', and operating by means of set-screws pp, the whole arranged and operating substantially as set forth, for the purpose of crushing, working up, and pulping poi, t, ns described and specified.

7. In combination with the grinder Z, the partially-revolving hoop E', provided with bag F', constructed as described, and secured to the great I:onveyer G.

8.. The bont A, constructed as described, in combination with diggingnpparatus D and grinder Z, to be used on watery peat-begs, substantially as herein described.

MARVIN S. ROBERTS.

Witnesses:

J. B. TURCHIN, S. SCHOTT. 

